Method and apparatus for reconditioning pile fibers



May 27, 1969 Filed Dec. 15, 1965 5. ROSENBERG ET METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECONDITIONING PILE FIBERS Sheet I NVENTOR.

HERMAN ROSENBERG HALTER D. HODGE BY HAROLD u. SMITH AJWDRNEYS y 1969 s. ROSENBERG ET AL 3,445,902

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECONDITIONING FILE FIBERS Filed Dec. 13, 1965 Sheet 3 of 4 INVENTOR. SHERMAN ROSENBERG l/JALTER D. HODGE HAROLD w. 5mm

ATTORNEYS y 27, 1959 s. ROSENBERG ET AL 3,445,902

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECONDITIONING FILE FIBERS Sheet Filed Dec. 13, 1965 vEE WWBG S NNDM Y EEOS M E F N. N

mm w May 27, 1969 s. ROSENBERG ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECONDITIONING PILE FIBERS Filed-Dec. 13, 1965 Sheet 4 of4 INVENTOR.

SHERMAN ROSENBERG W WALTER D. HODGE HAROLD IALSMITH ATTORN E YS United States Patent US. Cl. 26-2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The method and apparatus for cleaning and reconditioning various articles having pile fibers wherein such article is moved to a series of confined areas in sequence and created by first jetting air against the fibers of the article to remove loose foreign matter and then directing steam thereon to heat and dampen the pile fibers and then directing hot air around the article to dry same and then subjecting the article to chilled air to reduce the temperature and shock the fibers into remaining upright. The apparatus has a series of compartments arranged in a series with a conveyor for moving articles through the chambers, the chambers being arranged with walls providing duets with blowers whereby in the first chamber air jets are directed therein against the article, and in the second chamber steam is directed therein, the third chamber has hot air directed therein, and the fourth chamber has chilled air directed therein. The first chamber being connected to an exhaust system for removing air therefrom and aid in effecting flow around the articles passing therethrough.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for cleaning and reconditioning various articles and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for the cleaning and reconditioning of articles having a base with pile fibers attached thereto.

In todays commerce, many articles of mechandise contain an exterior comprised of pile fibers and a base material to which the pile fibers are secured, such as stuffed figures or animals. During the production, storage and merchandising of such articles, the pile fiber tends to become crushed and soiled, thereby detracting from the general appearance of the articles. When the pile fibers have assumed a crushed or flattened setting, ordinary methods such as brushing will not suffice to straighten the fibers. Transporting and storage costs are also considerably increased by the space requirements of material having pile fibers as said material is normally retained on creels with sufficient spacing to prevent fiber crushing.

The principal objects of this invention are: to alleviate the aforementioned difficulties by providing a method and apparatus for the cleaning and rejuvenation of articles of merchandise having an exterior covering of a plush-like material or pile fiber; to provide such a method and apparatus which will recondition the exterior of articles of this nature without extensive moisture which can cause serious harm to the exterior of the article; to provide such a method and apparatus which will recondition the plushlike material or pile fibers of the exterior covering by straightening said fibers to an upstanding position away from the base material to a fluffy finish, thereby rejuvenating that material or fibers which have been crushed to a flattened position in the production, storage or merchandising phases and eliminating the necessity of utilizing creels for storage and transporting by allowing the materials to be stored and transported in rolled form; to provide such a method and apparatus which will allow manufacturers and merchandisers of such articles to recondi- 3,445,902 Patented May 27, 1969 ice tion soiled and crushed articles as heretofore mentioned to reduce shipping and handling losses and to provide the public with an article of merchandise having an appealing appearance; to provide such a method and apparatus which will allow consumers to recondition articles of merchandise having such a plush-like or pile fiber exterior covering; to provide a method and apparatus of this nature which may rapidly and inexpensively clean and recondition the pile fiber on the aforestated types of merchandise.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying the features of this invention with certain portions broken away to show the interior of said apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cleaning and reconditioning apparatus, showing certain portions broken away to reveal the interior of said apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 through the cleaning chamber of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1 through the humidifying chamber of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1 showing the drying chamber of the apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 66 showing the cooling chamber of the apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the conveyor and the conveyor hook.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational View of a filter in the duct work leading to the cleaning chamber and to the drying chamber.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the interior wall of each of the cleaning and drying chambers and the duct work in communication with said interior wall with portions broken away to show both the interior of the duct work and the hollow duct behind the side wall.

Referring to the drawings in more detail:

This invention contemplates the conveying of an article having an exterior covering comprised of a plush-like material or pile fiber through a series of chambers along a predetermined path to clean and rejuvenate or recondition said material or fibers, said article being conveyed through a cleaning chamber where dust and other loose material is removed from said article and then conveyed from the cleaning chamber and through a humidifying chamber where the pile fibers are subjected to a heated gaseous medium to remove dirt and other foreign matter therefrom and to assist in straightening or reconditioning of crushed fibers by heating and dampening said fibers.

The invention contemplates the article being conveyed from the humidifying chamber and through a drying chamber wherein the fiber and base material is dried to remove the moisture received by the article in the humidifying chamber and further heated. The article is then conveyed through a cooling chamber wherein the hot pile fiber or plush-like material is subjected to a shock treatment to maintain the fiber in its outward standing position away from the base material of the article. This shock treatment is accomplished by rapidly reducing the temperature of the pile fiber to the ambient temperature.

Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus is shown which embodies the features of this invention which is generally designated by the reference numeral 1. The apparatus 1 is broadly comprised of a base or table structure 2 having a housing 3 mounted thereon with a conveyor 4 for conveying articles 4 along a predetermined path through the housing 3, said housing having a plurality of chambers disposed along the path of conveyor 4 including a cleaning chamber 5, a humidifying chamber 6, a drying chamber 7 and a cooling chamber '8.

The base or table 2 has a supporting surface 2' which provide a floor for the various chambers and is supported on a plurality of spaced leg members 9 to hold said supporting surface 2' in spaced relation from a second supporting surface or floor. The various chambers are disposed longitudinally along the predetermined path of travel of the article on supporting surface 2' and mounted thereto by suitable means.

The cleaning chamber 5, which serves to initially clean the article of merchandise by application of air jets on the exterior covering of said article to remove dust and other loose foreign material, is located at one end of table 2 designated as the input end 10 with the output end designated as 10' and is the first chamber through which the article 4 passes on the conveyor 4 in the cleaning and reconditioning process.

The cleaning chamber is comprised of a pair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending side members 11 and an overhead hood structure 12. The side members 11 are formed in a duct-like manner having an exterior wall 14, an interior wall 15 and upper and lower panels 16 and 17 respectively and an end panel 19 to provide an enclosed duct-like structure. The interior walls of 15 of each of side members 11 contains a plurality of openings 20 which provide communication between chamber 5 and the interior 21 of side member 11 to allow the flow of air in a jet-like manner into chamber 5 and against the article 4 being cleaned. Each of the openings 20 has a flared end portion 22 adjacent the interior 21 of the side member 11 to facilitate the flow of air from the respective side members 11 into the chamber 5. The side members 11 extend for the full height from the floor to the upper part of the chamber 5 and are tapered from an air inlet end 23 (shown in FIG. to the opposite end panel 19 in such a manner that side walls 14 and converge inwardly toward one another so as to provide a duct member of reducing cross-sectional area and thereby provide equal air pressure throughout the side member 11 and thereby deliver a generally uniform quantity of air at a generally uniform pressure through each of the jet openings and into the chamber 5.

The air pressure within side member a fan or blower 24 which, as shown in FIG. 2, is located below the table structure 2 and has ducts 25 connecting the blower 24 discharge to the interior of the respective side members 11. Each of the side members 11 of chamber 5 contain such a blower system and utilize a filter 26 of the type shown in FIG. 9 within the ducts 25 to insure the cleanliness of the air passing through the openings 20 and onto the article being cleaned. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the air inlet end 23 of the side members 11 contains a plurality of vanes 26' of varying widths which serve to direct the air flow from a vertical duct 27 below the side member 11 into the interior portion 21 of the respective side member 11 in a uniform manner. The pressure Within the duct is maintained in the nature of 8 inches of static air pressure.

The hood structure 12 is suspended in overlying relation to chamber 5 by suitable hangers 12' and has an outlet 28' connected to a suction blower (not shown) to withdraw the air and dirt which is removed from the articles 4' being cleaned within chamber 5 and to deliver this material to a dust collector (not shown). The hood structure 12 is provided with notches 28 at each end thereof to allow the passage of the conveyor 4 therethrough, said conveyor 4 having a conveyor connector 80 which supports the articles 4' as they are moved longitu- 11 is provided by dinally along a predetermined path through chamber 5 by means of conveyor 4. The hood 12 extends laterally over side members 11 to allow for the lateral adjustment of side members 11 and is sealed off at 29 to prevent the flow of air from outside the chamber 5 into the exhaust system, thereby reducing the exhaust of air from chamber 5.

The side members 11 of chamber 5 are suitably mounted to table 2 to allow said side members 11 to be moved inwardly and outwardly to vary the spacing therebetween and thereby accommodate various sizes of articles to be cleaned with an optimum spacing to the article surface from the jet openings 20. Referring to FIG. 10, the side member 11 is connected to the respective vertical duct 27 by means of a slidable mounting to facilitate the movement of side member 11 in a direction transverse to the predetermined path of the article 4 through said chamber 5. The duct 27 has a channel-shaped mounting 30, having two vertically spaced flanges 31, which receives the side edges 33 of a cover plate 34 mounted at each side of the side member 11. The cover plate 34 has suflicient length to allow the lateral movement of the side member 11 from one end of vertical duct 27 to the other and still provide a covering plate for the duct 27 to prevent the loss of pressure through the top of the duct 27. The side members 11 of chamber 5 may also be fixed in place if the articles 4' being passed therethrough are relatively consistent in size.

The humidifying chamber 6 which adjoins the cleaning chamber 5, as illustrated in FIG. 4, has a pair of longitudinally extending side walls 38 disposed in opposed spaced relation and end walls 36 and 39 extending transversely inwardly of the longitudinal side walls. A pair of overhead panels 40 extend inwardly from the upper edge portion 41 of side panels 38 being mounted thereto by suitable means with the side edges 42 of the overhead panels 40 disposed in opposed spaced relation from one another to define a longitudinal slot 43 through the ceiling structure of the chamber 6 to provide for the movement of conveyor connector through chamber 6 and to act as an exhaust outlet from chamber 6. A hood structure 44 is suspended by hangers 12' above chamber 6, said hood having air outlet 44' connected to an exhaust blower (not shown) and has a pair of notches 45 in its transverse side members 45' to allow for the mounting of conveyor 4 inside the hood structure 44.

The chamber 6 is provided with a stream delivery apparatus, here illustrated as upright steam pipes 46, each containing a plurality of openings or nozzles 47 through which the steam is injected into chamber 6. The upright steam pipes 46 are shown disposed on opposite sides of chamber 6, each having a flexible connecting line 48 operatively connecting upright pipes 46 with a steam converter 49 shown beneath the table structure 2. The steam pipes 46 are mounted in a vertical position to side wall 38 by means of brackets 50. Each of the flexible connecting lines 48 extend through a slot (not shown) in floor 8 of table 2, said slot allowing the transverse movement of steam pipes 46 inwardly and outwardly from the center of chamber 6 along with side walls 38 to adjust the width of the transverse spacing of the steam pipes 46. The transverse movement of steam pipes 46 is accomplished in the illustrated embodiment by utilizing a flexible pipe section 51 which extends from elbow 51' to joint 52. A second flexible section 53 is employed between joint 52 and the upright steam pipe 46. The adjustable feature of the chamber allows the apparatus 1 to accommodate articles of various sizes and still maintain a proper spacing between the exterior surface of article 4 and the steam nozzles 47. Where the articles 4' are relatively consistent in size, a permanent spacing between the pipes 46 may be utilized thereby eliminating the use of these adjustable features.

The application of steam to the'articles tends to provide a sterilization of said article 4' and also reconditions however, as previously the pile fiber by heating and dampening said fibers to release the crushed setting of the fiber and cause said fibers to assume an upstanding position outwardly from the base material. It is for this reason that it is essential that the steam be delivered to chamber 6 at a temperature in the nature of 210 degrees P. so as to slightly dampen the pile fibers but not to apply so much moisture as will prevent the fibers from assuming the upright position.

The article is then conveyed through chamber 7 wherein the article is dried to remove the moisture obtained in the humidifying chamber 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the drying oepration is accomplished by the application of a plurality of air jets to the exterior covering of the article with the air in said jets sufiiciently heated to effect the drying or evaporation of the moisture acquired in chamber 6 and to fluff or recondition the lay of the pile fibers to assist in causing said fibers to assume an outstanding position away from the base material. The drying chamber 7 is constructed in the same manner as cleaning chamber 5 having a pair of longitudinally extending side members 54 formed in a duct-like manner, each having an outer wall 55 of an inner wall 56 with a plurality of air jet openings 57 through inner wall 56. Side members 54 of chamber 7 are each operatively connected to the fan or blower 59 which supplies air to the duct-like side members 54 through a series of ducts in the same manner as discussed in relation to chamber 5. In regard to chamber 7, however, the air passing into side member 54 is first heated by passing said air through a heating coil 60 which heats the air to a temperature in the nature of 170 degrees F. to 210 degrees F. Like the side members 11 of chamber 5, the side members 54 of chamber 7 are tapered in a converging manner away from the air intake portion or end of said side member. The side members 54 are movable in a transverse direction inwardly and outwardly from the center line of chamber 7 by means of a duct connection as shown in FIG. 10 and previously described; discussed, the spacing between side members 11 may be established by a fixed installation. Also, of side member 54 provides the air jets to the article being dried, said air first being filtered as previously discussed. The air pressure within side member 54 is maintained in the nature of 8 inches of static air pressure. The chamber 7 has a hood structure 61 suspended above said chamber 7 by hangers 12', said hood structure 61 having an outlet 62 operatively connected to an exhaust blower (not shown) in the same manner as discussed in relation to chambers 5 and 6 and notches 58 to allow for the mounting of conveyor 4 in hood structure 61.

' After treatment in the drying chamber 7, the article 4' is conveyed to the cooling chamber 8 where a shock pile treatment is applied to the pile fibers to cause said fibers to stay in the upstanding position away from the base material that said fibers have assumed in the other chambers 5, 6 and 7. The pile fiber is shocked by rapidly reducing the tempearture of the article itself to the ambient temperature. This rapid transfer of heat is facilitated by blowing cooled or refrigerated air across the article 41 at a temperature sufficient to so reduce the temperature of the article 4. A satisfactory result is also produced by passing or blowing air at the ambient temperature over said fibers, the moving air facilitating the transfer of heat from the fibers to the air and cooling said fibers.

The cooling chamber 8 has a pair of longitudinally extending side walls 63 disposed in opposed spaced relation from one another and a pair of transversely extending end walls 64. Each side wall 63 has an overhead panel 66 suitably mounted thereto and extending inwardly toward the opposite side wall 63. Each overhead panel 66 has a side edge 67 disposed inspaced relation from one another, thereby defining a longitudinal slot 68 through chamber 8 to allow for the passage of the conveyor connected 80 of conveyor 4. Bottom panels 69 like chamber 5, the openings 57 in the inner wall 56 are mounted to each of side walls 63 and extend inwardly toward the opposite side wall 62 in overlying contacting relation to the floor 2 of table 2. The bottom panel 69 may be releasably engaged or retained on floor 2' of table 2 to hold side walls 63 in the desired spaced relation. As stated in relation to the other chambers, the side walls 63 are movable in a transverse direction to enlarge or reduce the size of chamber 8 to accommodate various sizes of articles 4' and maintain the desired spacing within chamber 8. As previously discussed, the spacing between side walls 63 may be fixed and the adjustable feature eliminated where the nature of the articles 4' so permits.

Each of the side walls 63 has an air duct 70 mounted thereto by suitable means through which the cooled air is conveyed for application against the article 4. The ducts 70 each have a plurality of vanes 71 mounted therein by suitable means to direct the flow of cooled air from the duct 70 and through the openings in grille 72 in a conventional manner. The ducts 70 are each connected to a vertical duct 73 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 10 and previously described in relation to vertical duct 27 to allow for the transverse movement of ducts 70 to accommodate various size articles and maintain proper spacing. The vertical ducts 73 are each operatively connected to a fan or blower 73 and an air cooling apparatus 75 to provide cool air through the ducts 70 at the desired temperature. The cooling apparatus may be eliminated if slower cooling is desired and simply pass air at the ambient temperature over article 4. Regardless of whether refrigerated air or air at the ambient temperature is passed over the article 4, the air should not contain excessive moisture. In areas of high humidity, additional steps may be necessary to reduce the moisture content of the air.

The conveyor 4 is illustrated as being comprised of a continuous belt 76 mounted to a conveyor frame 77 by means of angle guides 78. The frame 77 is suspended or supported by hangers 79. The conveyor 4 in the illustrated embodiment is supported or suspended above the various chambers within the hood structures of said chambers with a connector 80 extending downwardly into said chambers to support the article 4' within said chambers. The connector 80, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, is comprised of an arm 81 which extends downwardly from conveyor belt 76 and is secured thereto by rivets 82. A supporting plate 83 is interposed between belt 76 and arm 81 to reinforce belt 76 at the attachment area of arm 81. The arm 81 has a hook 84 mounted thereto and extending downwardly therefrom being secured to arm 81 by means of a bolt and nut assembly 85. The article being cleaned and reconditioned is releasably mounted to hook 84 by means of an intermediate connecting device 86 which preferably contains a swivel connection 87 to allow the article to be rotated within the chambers as the air and steam are applied to said article.

The conveyor frame 77 which is disposed in the hood structures of the various chambers and extends longitudinally above said chambers is illustrated as having a leg portion or run 88 extending exteriorly along the side edge of the hood structures to provide a support for the continuous belt 76 on which the connector 80 is mounted. Conveyor wheels 89 are mounted at each end of the cleaning and reconditioning apparatus 1 to the frame 77 in a conventional manner. Conveyor wheel 89, mounted at the output end 10 of apparatus 1, is driven by motor 90 mounted in a conventional manner to frame 77 in motor bracket 91.

The arrangement of the conveyor with one leg or run A2 extending through the housing 3 and the other leg or run 88 exteriorly thereof allows the provision of an article loading station as at 93 and an article unloading station as at 94 whereby the length of said stations are such that the operators may easily handle the articles 4', both before and after cleaning and reconditioning of the pile material.

The method or process of reconditioning the exterior of the article to clean and straighten the pile fibers is initiated by conveying the article 4' on conveyor 4 through a confined area designated as a cleaning chamber 5 wherein loose foreign material is removed as by applying a plurality of air jets to said fibers to blow the foreign material from the fibers. The air jets are pro vided by a plurality of openings 20 in side members 11 through which air is conveyed from blowers 24. The foreign material so removed from article 4' is exhausted from chamber 5 to maintain a clean area for the process.

The article 4 is then conveyed through a second confined area designated as the humidifying chamber 6 wherein the pile fibers are both heated and moistened to effect a straightening of the crushed fibers by removal of the crushed fiber set causing the fibers to return to a straight upstanding position away from the base material. In the illustrated embodiment, the fibers are heated and moistened by the application of steam in the nature of 210 degrees F. which is delivered to chamber 6 through nozzles 47 of pipes 46. The steam should be maintained at approximately this temperature as it is important not to impart too much moisture to the fibers which prevent said fibers from assuming an upstanding position. The steam is exhausted from the chamber 6 to maintain pressure within the chamber 6.

The article 4 is then conveyed through a third confined area designated as drying chamber 7 where the pile fibers are further heated to evaporate the moisture received from the steam in chamber 6 and to effect additional straightening of said fibers. The fibers are heated by means of a plurality of air jets of heated air which are applied to the fiber as the article 4 is passed through the chamber 7. The air is delivered to chamber 7 through a plurality of openings 57 in side members 54 and is maintained at a temperature in the nature of 170 to 210 degrees F. The air is exhausted from chamber 7 to maintain the desired pressure within chamber 7 and to keep the area Within chamber 7 free of foreign matter.

The article 4' is then conveyed through a fourth confined area designated as the cooling chamber 8. The temperature of the fibers of the article 4' is rapidly reduced to the ambient temperature, by passing cooled air or air at ambient temperature over said article 4' effecting a heat transfer to said air. The rapid cooling has the effect of setting or shocking the fibers into remaining in the straightened upstanding position away from the base material which said fibers have assumed as a result of the treatment received in chamber 5, 6 and 7.

The articles 4' could, however, be collected after passing through the drying chamber 7 and retained on racks or other suitable means. The cooled air or air at the ambient temperature could then be passed over article 4' to effect the desired heat transfer thereby eliminating the cooling chamber 8.

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described one form of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of reconditioning the exterior of an article having a base material and pile fibers connected to said base material and extending outwardly of the article comprising:

(a) conveying said article through a first confined area and directing jets of air therein against the fibers of the article to remove loose foreign matter and fluff the pile fibers,

(b) exhausting air and said foreign matter from said first confined area as the jets of air are directed against said article fibers,

(c) conveying said article through a second confined area and directing steam therein to heat and dampen the pile fibers,

(d) exhausting steam from said second confined area to effect a flow therethrough around the article being conveyed therethrough,

(e) conveying said article through a third confined area and directing heated air therein to dry the heated article,

(f) conveying said article through a fourth confined area and blowing cooled air on said article to reduce the temperature of the pile fibers to ambient temperatures and shock said fibers causing same to remain in an upright position away from the base material.

2. An apparatus for reconditioning an exterior of an article, said article having a base and pile fibers connected to said base material comprising:

(a) conveyor means for moving said article along a predetermined path longitudinally through said apparatus,

(b) means along said path to remove dust and loose material from said article and including a pair of ducts disposed in opposed relation on opposite sides of said predetermined path and extending longitudinally to said path, each duct having a plurality of openings therein on the side thereof adjacent the predetermined path to allow the application of air jets to the pile fibers and base material of said article, with said ducts being operatively connected with a means for supplying air pressure to said ducts and through said openings,

(c) means along said path to dampen and heat said pile fibers and base material,

(d) means along said path to dry said base material and pile fibers, and

(e) means along said path to cool said fibers to cause said fibers to stand in an outward direction from said base material.

3. An apparatus for reconditioning an exterior of an article, said article having a base and pile fibers connected to said base material comprising:

(a) conveyor means for moving said article along a predetermined path longitudinally through said apparatus,

(b) means along said path to remove dust and loose material therefrom,

(c) means along said path to dampen and heat said pile fibers and base material,

(d) means along said path to dry said base material and pile fibers and comprising two longitudinally extending ducts disposed in opposed relation on opposite sides of said predetermined path and having a side wall adjacent said path with a plurality of openings in said side wall to allow the passage of air jets onto said article, each of said ducts being operatively connected to a means for supplying air pressure to said ducts and through said openings and heating said air to a desired temperature,

(e) and means along said path to cool said fibers to cause said fibers to stand in an outward position from said base material.

4. An apparatus for reconditioning an exterior of an article, said article having a base and pile fibers connected to said base material comprising:

(a) conveyor means for moving said article along a predetermined path longitudinally tthrough said apparatus,

(b) means along said path to remove dust and loose material 'from the article and comprising a chamber through which the article is conveyed, said chamber being comprised of laterally adjustable side members disposed on opposite sides of said predetermined path and an overhead exhaust hood structure, each side member having longitudinal side walls, end walls and upper and lower panels secured together to form an air duct, the side wall adjacent said predetermined path having a plurality of openings therethrough to allow the passage of air jets against the article, said side members being operatively connected to the discharge end of a blower to provide air pressure within said side members, said overhead hood structure being suspended on hanger means above said chamber and operatively connected to an exhaust system a passage connecting adjacent chambers for movement of an article from a chamber to the next chamher in the series, said chambers including a cleaning chamber, a steam chamber, a drying chamber and a cooling chamber,

to remove foreignmatter from said chamber, (b) a conveyor operable along a path through said (c) means along said path to dampen and heat said series of chambers for receiving articles and moving pile fibers and base material and comprising a chamsame through said chambers,

ber through which the article is conveyed, said (c) means connected to the cleaning chamber and operchamber belng comprised of laterally adjustable side able to direct a plurality of jets of air against the pil walls, end walls, an overhead exhaust hood structure, fibers of an article moving through said chamber to a plurality of t am pipes, and t am upply m n remove dust and loose material from the article as it said steamsupply means being operatively connected m ve ther through to the steam chamber and exto said steam pipes and having means to allow lateral haust means withdrawing air and dust from Said adjustment of said steam pipes from said predetercleaning chamber, m e p saidsteam p p being disposed on P" (d) means connected to the steam chamber and oper- P Q SIdPS of Bald P and havmg IIOZZleS mounted able to direct steam therein to heat and damped the on said pipes to allow the passage of steam from said pile fibers of an article moving therethrough to the pipe outwardly into the chamber and against the ardrying h mber, ticle, Said P p being operatively to a (e) means connected to the drying chamber and opersteam converter to supply steam o sand pip s, h able to direct a plurality of jets of heated air against Overhead hood Structure belng Suspended above 531d the pile fibers of an article moving therethrough to chamber 011 hanger means and operatively connected dr said article and maintain the heated condition to an exhaust system to remove said steam from the thereof fo movement to the cooling chamber, chamber, (f) means connected to the cooling chamber and opermea'ns along 331d P y 531d base matel'lal able to direct a cool air flow around a heated article a d P fi d COIIIPIISIHg a fi throllgh moving therein to reduce the temperature of the pile Wh1Ch the a i l 18 conveyed, 531d Chamber fibers to ambient temperatures and shock said fibers COIHPI'ISBd 0f laterally adjustable Side members (115' to cause same to remain in an upright position away posed on opposite sides of said predetermined path f h b t i l, and an Ove head eXhallst hood, each Side member (g) an article removing station in the path of the conhaVlIlg lollgi'flldlnal slde Walls, end Walls and upper veyor exteriorly of the cooling chamber for removing and lower panels secured together to form an air di i icl therefrom, duct, the side walls adjacent said predetermined path having a plurality of openings therethrough to allow R f n e Ci d the passage of air jets against the article, said side members being operatively connected to the dis- UNITED STATES PATENTS charge end of a blower to provide air pressure within 1,915,106 6/ 1933 Shuttleworth 262 said side member, said hood structure being sus- 1,917,555 7/ 1933 Shuttleworth 26---2 pended on hanger means above said chamber and 40 2,035,640 3/1936 Dickie et a1. 262 operatively connected to an exhaust means to remove 2,035,641 3/ 1936 Dickie et al. 26-2 foreign matter from said chamber, 2,777,750 1/ 1957 Sprague et al. 68-5 XR (e) means along said path to cool said fibers to cause 3,222,895 12/1965 Sheppard 26-2 XR said fibers to stand in an outward position from said 1,375,663 4/ 1921 Ainsworth 134-37 XR base material and comprising a chamber through 2,524,119 10/ 1950 Heck. which the article is conveyed, said chamber being 2,729,536 1/ 1956 Pull et al. 134-37 XR comprised of laterally adjustable side walls, end walls and overhead panels, all of which are secured to- FOREIGN PATENTS gether to provide a confined area and ducts mounted 952,819 3/ 1964 Great Britain.

on opposite sides of said predetermined path, said ducts having an exhaust opening adjacent the predetermined path to supply cooled air against the article, said ducts being operatively connected to the discharge end of a blower and an air cooling apparatus to supply cooled air to said ducts and through said openings.

5. An apparatus for reconditioning an exterior of an article, said article having a base material and pile fibers connected to said base material and extending outwardly thereof comprising:

(a) a housing structure having a plurality of chambers therein in a series along a defined path and having OTHER REFERENCES Preparation and Dyeing of Synthetic Fibres; by H. U. Schmidlin; Chapman and Hall Ltd., London; 1963. (Pages -98 relied on.)

MORRIS o. WOLK, Primary Examiner. B. S. RICHMAN, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

